13 iOS 6 Tips and Hidden Features

iOS 6 has been out for more than an hour now. (Don’t get left behind.) Apple showcased many of the big-ticket features at its WWDC keynote back in June and, later, at the iPhone 5 unveiling. But there’s far more to iOS 6 than things like Passbook and Maps.

There are dozens of tweaks and additions that substantially enhance Apple’s mobile OS -- some obvious, and some hidden. Either way, we’ve saved you the trouble of searching for them.

Here are iOS 6’s 13 best new features. Got any suggestions we didn’t mention? Share them in the comments.

Have the Whole World in Your Hands

Apple’s completely redesigned Maps app replaces Google Maps in iOS 6. The new app has nifty features like turn-by-turn directions, Fly Over and, because it uses vector-based images, 3-D image renderings of many destinations. One of the less helpful (but fun!) features is the ability to zoom out in Satellite mode to see the Earth as a glowing blue ball in space.

Simply pinch to zoom out, like you normally, and keep doing it until the map becomes a globe. You can even spin the world around. The view doesn’t show time zones, or where it’s day or night, or any other useful information, but now you’ve got a globe in the palm of your hand.

Panorama-o-rama

Apple showed off the iPhone 5’s Panorama feature during its launch event last week. But what the company failed to mention was that Panorama mode actually works with any iOS device that has a dual-core processor. That means the iPhone 4S and fifth-generation iPod touch can also take superwide, 28-megapixel landscape photos.

Although the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad both have dual-core processors, Apple does not appear to have enabled Panorama mode in these tablets. Maybe their cameras aren’t up to snuff. Regardless, the idea of holding up an iPad long enough to take a panoramic photo isn’t all that appealing.

Insert Photos in Mail

You can finally insert photos into an e-mail draft. Tap and hold on a blank area in the email until the cut-and-paste menu appears. In portrait mode, tap on the right arrow to bring up the option to insert a photo or a video. In landscape mode, the menu item should appear automatically.

YouTube Is Still Sort of There

The YouTube app has been removed from the default install of iOS 6. But if you want it back, you can download the new YouTube app from the App Store. What’s weird is that the app doesn’t support uploading videos to YouTube. Fortunately, that feature is built into iOS 6. Just pick a video in the Photos app and select Share, and the old YouTube app and icon will appear.

Sharing Calendars

Sharing Calendars used to mean hopping on a computer. But now users can do it straight from iOS 6.

Select Calendars from within the app and tap on the arrow to the right of the calendar you want to share. Choose “Shared With:” to share with specific people and determine whether they can view only or have full editing privileges.

You can also scroll down to the bottom of the Edit Calendar window to make the calendar public. Users can subscribe to public calendars, but they can’t edit them.

Mark as Unread

Mark as Unread has moved from the subject field to the flag that resides at the bottom of an e-mail. Tap on the flag to choose from flagging an e-mail or setting it as unread.

Multiple E-mail Signatures

With iOS 6, each e-mail account can have its own unique signature. This is an excellent opportunity to replace the boring default “Sent from an iPhone.” To edit the signature for each e-mail account, navigate to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and scroll down to Signature. Tap on Signature and then on Per Account, and add the personalized signature you want for each account.

Turn-by-Turn Directions Volume

Android and Windows Phone users have had turn-by-turn directions for a while now, with voice commands keeping them on course so they don’t have to take their eyes off the road to glance at a map. Finally, iOS users can enjoy the same capability.

On the iPhone, however, that default voice can be alarmingly loud, especially if connected to a car stereo. To adjust the speaking volume of your robot navigator, go to Settings > Maps.

Turn on Shared Photo Stream

Photo Stream now offers a pretty easy way to share photos with groups of friends without posting them to the Internet for all the world to see. Just select the photos nd the friends you’d like to share them with, and you’ve got a shared photo album you and your friends can comment on and “like.”

Unfortunately, the feature is not turned on by default, and scouring the Photos app ill yields zero help. To enable it, navigate to Settings > Photos & Camera.

Enhance Your Alarm Clock

The built-in clock and alarm feature in iOS has always been a fairly simple affair. But now you can customize alarms for certain days of the week and set a song from your music library as your alarm tone.

Those who have varied schedules on different days of the week can go into the Edit Alarm or Add Alarm settings to make a particular alarm repeat only on specific days -- like for that Tuesday organic chemistry seminar or the Friday yoga class. On the iPad (which did not used to have Clocks at all), this is laid out in a calendar-style grid, so you can see your alarms plotted over the course of the day and week.

But there’s one more thing you can do to make those first few moments in the morning less blaring and miserable. Under the Sound section of the Edit Alarm menu, you can now choose songs from your music library. You also have the option to buy more tones from iTunes, including ones themed from movies like Star Wars. Yep, you can choose to wake up to C-3PO saying “We’re Doomed!” each morning, or Darth Vader breathing. Have fun.

Delete Music and Artist

Apple’s amazing iTunes Match grabs all the music you have on multiple devices and consolidates it in one place. The not so great part is when your Music app interface gets cluttered with music from a family member with horrible taste. The new ability to delete both artists and individual tracks lets you remove these offending tracks. Just slide from left to right on an artist or track to bring up the delete button.

Passbook Apps and Siri Access

Passbook is one of the most hyped features of iOS 6, but it will take a bit of time to come into its own.

First off, not every ticketing or coupon app will be compatible with Passbook at the outset -- a detail that Apple didn’t mention at WWDC or the iPhone 5 launch. Starbucks, Fandango, and American Airlines’ mobile apps will work right away. Other apps should be updated to take advantage of Passbook in the coming weeks, though, so don’t fret.

One of the best things about Passbook is the option to access it from the lockscreen. Go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock. If you have a passcode set, you can grant lockscreen access to Passbook. Within this menu you can also adjust Siri’s access to the device when it’s locked.

Privacy and Ad Tracking

Under the main Settings icon, Apple has provided clearer controls with regard to ad tracking and to granting apps access to your data.

There’s now a Privacy tab in the main Settings menu. It shows which apps are using Location Services; accessing your Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, or Photos; or using Bluetooth. From here you can also manage apps that access your Twitter or Facebook data through the OS, You can also switch the OS-wide integration of those social media services on or off.

Don’t want ads following around your every swipe? Go to Settings > General > About, then flick down to Advertising. Tap and then slide on “Limit Ad Tracking.” Now you can keep marketers from bombarding you with targeted ads on your iOS device.